U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,687, hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses an outboard marine drive having a midsection between the upper power head and the lower gear case and having a removable midsection cowl assembly including first and second cowl sections. The midsection housing includes an oil sump in one embodiment and further includes an exhaust passage partially encircled by cooling water and partially encircled by engine oil for muffling engine exhaust noise. The midsection housing also has an oil drain arrangement providing complete and clean oil draining while the outboard drive is mounted on a boat and in the water wherein the operator can change oil without leaving the confines of the boat and entering the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,304, hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses a support system for an outboard motor including mounts which are configured and positioned to result in an elastic center point being located closely to a roll axis of the outboard motor which is generally vertical and extends through a center of gravity of the outboard motor. The mounts are positioned so that lines which are perpendicular to their respective center lines intersect at an angle which can be generally equal to 90 degrees. The mounts are positioned in non-interfering relationship with the exhaust components of the outboard motor and its oil sump.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,820,701, hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses a mounting arrangement for supporting an outboard motor with respect to a marine vessel extending in a fore-aft plane. The mounting arrangement comprises first and second mounts that each have an outer shell, an inner wedge concentrically disposed in the outer shell, and an elastomeric spacer between the outer shell and the inner wedge. Each of the first and second mounts extend along an axial direction, along a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the axial direction, and along a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the axial direction and perpendicular to the vertical direction. The inner wedges of the first and second mounts both have a non-circular shape when viewed in a cross-section taken perpendicular to the axial direction. The non-circular shape comprises a first outer surface that extends transversely at an angle to the horizontal and vertical directions. The non-circular shape comprises a second outer surface that extends transversely at a different, second angle to the horizontal and vertical directions. A method is for making the mounting arrangement.
Unpublished U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/591,493, filed Jan. 7, 2015, hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses a midsection housing for an outboard motor that includes a driveshaft housing having an oil sump provided therein. An adapter plate is coupled to a top of the driveshaft housing. The adapter plate has an inner surface along which oil from an engine mounted on the adapter plate drains into the oil sump. First and second pockets are formed in an outer surface of the adapter plate on first and second generally opposite sides thereof, the first and second pockets configured to receive first and second mounts therein. A water jacket is formed between the inner and outer surfaces of the adapter plate. The water jacket extends at least partway between the inner surface of the adapter plate and each of the first and second pockets, respectively. A method for cooling a mount is also provided.